KCA 1st GM R4: Rajesh Vav makes a perfect start

by R Anantharam - 03/05/2025

WIM Diajeng Theresa Singgih (INA) defeated her second consecutive IM opponent at KCA's God's Own Country's 1st GM 2025. The Indonesian IM defeated IM Maksim Schekachikhin to maintain a perfect score 4/4. Four players are currently at 4/4. They are - top seed, GM Karen H Grigoryan (ARM), GM Levan Pantsulaia (GEO), IM Rajesh Vav and Theresa. Rajesh defeated Samarth Rajesh Ragavan comfortably. Ahaz E U missed a win against GM Tornike Sanikidze (GEO). IM Dinesh Kumar Sharma, Shrayan Majumder and Paras Dilip Bhoir had well contested draws against GM Deepan Chakkravarthy, GM Van Huy Nguyen (VIE) and GM Marat Dzhumaev (UZB) respectively. Round 5 starts today at 10 a.m. IST. Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Theresa shocks Maksim, wins against her second consecutive IM

Kerala youngster Ahaz E U held third seeded GM Tornike Sanikidze (GEO) to a draw in the fourth round of the KCA’s 1st International Chess Festival – Category A Tournament, organised by Kottayam Chess Academy. Four players – top seed GM Karen H Grigoryan (ARM), second seeded GM Levan Pantsulaia (GEO), WIM Diajeng Theresa Singgih (INA) and Indian IM Rajesh Vav share the lead with four points each.

IM Rajesh Vav is the sole Indian among the four leaders | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Tornike - Ahaz

Position after 29...h4

GM Tornike Sanikidze (GEO, 2441) misplaced his rook when he took the a4-pawn 30.Rxa4 hxg3+ 31.fxg3 e5 32.Ra7 Rxd4 33.Re1 e4 34.Qe3 Rd3 35.Qg5 Qc7 36.Ra5 Nh5 37.Qe5+ Qxe5 38.Rxe5 now f5 would have given Ahaz E U (2126) complete control. 38...Nxg3 39.Re7 Rxa3 40.Rxb7 Rd2 41.Rc7 Nf5 42.Kh1 Nh4? instead Raa2 would have finished the game in the next few moves.

Ahaz E U missed a win against GM Tornike Sanikidze (GEO) | Photo: IA R Anantharam

GM Deepan Chakkravarthy - IM D K Sharma: 0.5-0.5 | Photo: IA R Anantharam

Theresa - Maksim

Position after 27.Bxh6!

26...Bd3 prompted WIM Diajeng Theresa Singgih (INA, 1989) to go for 27.Bxh6! IM Maksim Schekachikhin (2364) needed to retreat his bishop back to g6. However, 27...Be4? only gave White a substantial advantage 28.Nxe4 dxe4 29.Qxe4 Nb3 30.Rxc8 Rxc8 31.Rd1 Qc7 32.Be3 after a few moves White lost her advantage but Black misplayed once again to end up having a lost position.

WIM Diajeng Theresa Singgih (INA) defeated her second consecutive IM at this event | Photo: IA R Anantharam

GM Van Huy Nguyen (VIE) - Shrayan Majumder: 0.5-0.5 | Photo: IA R Anantharam

GM Marat Dzhumaev (UZB) - Paras Dilip Bhoir: 0.5-0.5 | Photo: IA R Anantharam

Rajesh - Samarth

Position after 23.Nf5

IM Rajesh Vav (2324) launched a devastating attack on the kingside 23.Nf5 Bh8 24.Ne7 Ng8 25.Nxg6 f6 26.Qf5 Kg7 27.Nf4 fxg5 28.Ne6+ and it's over.

IM Rajesh Vav defeated Samarth Rajesh Ragavan (USA) comfortably to stay in the lead 4/4 | Photo: IA R Anantharam

Sree Shaunak Chanda - GM Evgeniy Podolchenko: 0.5-0.5 | Photo: IA R Anantharam

Akshaya Sathi - GM Raset Ziatdinov (USA): 1-0 | Photo: IA R Anantharam

A total of 234 players including 16 GMs, 12 IMs and a WIM are taking part from 13 countries across the world. The eight-day ten round GM tournament is being organized by Kottayam Chess Academy from 30th April to 7th May 2025 at The Courtyard Banquet Hall Kanjikuzhi in Kottayam, Kerala. The time control of the event is 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment from move no.1.

Replay Round 4 games

Round 4 results

Bo.	No.		White	Typ	Rtg	Club/City	Pts.	Result	Pts.		Black	Typ	Rtg	Club/City	No.
1	1	GM	Grigoryan, Karen H.		2556	ARM	3	1 - 0	3	GM	Manik, Mikulas		2273	SVK	20
2	3	GM	Pantsulaia, Levan		2532	GEO	3	1 - 0	3	GM	Teterev, Vitaly		2266	BLR	21
3	5	GM	Sanikidze, Tornike		2448	GEO	3	½ - ½	3		Ahaz, E U		2191	KER	24
4	9	GM	Deepan, Chakkravarthy J.		2394	ICF	3	½ - ½	3	IM	Sharma, Dinesh K.		2164	UP	25
5	64	WIM	Singgih, Diajeng Theresa		1931	INA	3	1 - 0	3	IM	Schekachikhin, Maksim		2370	FIDE	10
6	11	GM	Nguyen, Van Huy		2363	VIE	3	½ - ½	3		Majumder, Shrayan		2110	MAH	28
7	13	GM	Dzhumaev, Marat		2352	UZB	3	½ - ½	3		Bhoir, Paras Dilip		2085	MAH	32
8	15	IM	Rajesh, V A V		2331	SCR	3	1 - 0	3		Ragavan, Samarth Rajesh		1736	USA	155
9	50	CM	Chinmay, Kowshik		2011	KAR	2½	0 - 1	2½	GM	Savchenko, Boris		2459	RUS	4
10	7	GM	Movsziszian, Karen		2417	ARM	2½	1 - 0	2½		Samuel, Stephen Noble S		1999	AP	53
11	17	GM	Karthikeyan, P.		2312	ICF	2½	1 - 0	2½		Archisman, Patra		1929	WB	65
12	52		Sree, Shaunak Chanda		2001	TEL	2½	½ - ½	2½	GM	Podolchenko, Evgeniy		2307	BLR	18
13	58		Swayham, P Das		1968	GUJ	2½	0 - 1	2½	IM	Gochelashvili, David		2227	RUS	22
14	23		Arnav, Agrawal		2194	UP	2½	½ - ½	2½		Safal, Fazil		1893	KER	77
15	66	WCM	Modipalli, Deekshitha		1924	TEL	2½	0 - 1	2½		Balkishan, A.		2134	KAR	26

Details

Standings after Round 4

Rk.	SNo		Name	Typ	FED	Rtg	Club/City	Pts.	TB1	Rp	n	w	we	w-we	K	rtg+/-
1	1	GM	Grigoryan, Karen H.		ARM	2556	ARM	4	9,5	2813	4	4	3,60	0,40	10	4
2	3	GM	Pantsulaia, Levan		GEO	2532	GEO	4	9,5	2807	4	4	3,58	0,42	10	4,2
3	15	IM	Rajesh, V A V		IND	2331	SCR	4	8,5	2634	4	4	3,66	0,34	10	3,4
4	64	WIM	Singgih, Diajeng Theresa		INA	1931	INA	4	8	2793	4	4	1,85	2,15	20	43
5	22	IM	Gochelashvili, David		RUS	2227	RUS	3,5	11	2190	3	2,5	2,57	-0,07	10	-0,7
6	32		Bhoir, Paras Dilip		IND	2085	MAH	3,5	11	2223	4	3,5	2,79	0,71	40	28,4
7	9	GM	Deepan, Chakkravarthy J.		IND	2394	ICF	3,5	10,5	2299	4	3,5	3,54	-0,04	10	-0,4
8	11	GM	Nguyen, Van Huy		VIE	2363	VIE	3,5	10,5	2277	4	3,5	3,55	-0,05	10	-0,5
9	4	GM	Savchenko, Boris		RUS	2459	RUS	3,5	10	2286	4	3,5	3,67	-0,17	10	-1,7
10	5	GM	Sanikidze, Tornike		GEO	2448	GEO	3,5	10	2318	4	3,5	3,58	-0,08	10	-0,8
11	13	GM	Dzhumaev, Marat		UZB	2352	UZB	3,5	10	2264	4	3,5	3,56	-0,06	10	-0,6
12	24		Ahaz, E U		IND	2191	KER	3,5	10	2306	4	3,5	2,88	0,62	40	24,8
13	25	IM	Sharma, Dinesh K.		IND	2164	UP	3,5	10	2270	4	3,5	2,92	0,58	10	5,8
14	28		Majumder, Shrayan		IND	2110	MAH	3,5	10	2276	4	3,5	2,77	0,73	20	14,6
15	7	GM	Movsziszian, Karen		ARM	2417	ARM	3,5	9	2245	4	3,5	3,68	-0,18	10	-1,8

Details

Round 5 pairings

Bo.	No.		White	Typ	Rtg	Club/City	Pts.	Result	Pts.		Black	Typ	Rtg	Club/City	No.
1	15	IM	Rajesh, V A V		2331	SCR	4		4	GM	Grigoryan, Karen H.		2556	ARM	1
2	64	WIM	Singgih, Diajeng Theresa		1931	INA	4		4	GM	Pantsulaia, Levan		2532	GEO	3
3	4	GM	Savchenko, Boris		2459	RUS	3½		3½		Joseph, Tom		1812	KER	115
4	22	IM	Gochelashvili, David		2227	RUS	3½		3½	GM	Sanikidze, Tornike		2448	GEO	5
5	24		Ahaz, E U		2191	KER	3½		3½	GM	Movsziszian, Karen		2417	ARM	7
6	26		Balkishan, A.		2134	KAR	3½		3½	GM	Deepan, Chakkravarthy J.		2394	ICF	9
7	25	IM	Sharma, Dinesh K.		2164	UP	3½		3½	GM	Nguyen, Van Huy		2363	VIE	11
8	28		Majumder, Shrayan		2110	MAH	3½		3½	GM	Dzhumaev, Marat		2352	UZB	13
9	30	FM	Aakash, G		2100	TN	3½		3½	GM	Karthikeyan, P.		2312	ICF	17
10	32		Bhoir, Paras Dilip		2085	MAH	3½		3	IM	Mehar, Chinna Reddy C.H.		2418	SCR	6
11	2	GM	Petrosyan, Manuel		2544	ARM	3		3		Advik, Amit Agrawal		2007	MAH	51
12	8	GM	Fedorov, Alexei		2396	BLR	3		3		Sree, Shaunak Chanda		2001	TEL	52
13	10	IM	Schekachikhin, Maksim		2370	FIDE	3		3		Sanjay, S Pillai		1997	KER	54
14	12	IM	Tologon Tegin, Semetei		2358	KGZ	3		3		Sharnarthi, Shlok		1991	MAH	55
15	14	IM	Nitin, S.		2331	TN	3		3		Afreed, T Khan		1921	AP	67

Details

About the Author

Prof. Rathinam Anantharam is an A-grade international arbiter. Member of FIDE Arbiters’ Commission, Chairman of Titles Commission in All India Chess Federation, Vice President of Tamil Nadu State Chess Association, Chief Arbiter for six world championships, many Asian, International and National Championships. Nominated as one of the top seven arbiters in the world for the past hundred years by FIDE.

The report was edited by Shahid Ahmed